My Fair Serenity
by Mimzical
Summary: Seto Kaiba had never been interested in girls and he was convinced he never would be. As far as he was concerned, only weak minded fools indulged in that sort of meaningless drivel. Seto was in complete control of his life; he had his company, his brother, and that was all he needed. At least it had been, until Serenity Wheeler buzzed into his life and ruined everything.
1. The First

**The First**

First: _(number)_

1. The beginning.

2. Coming before all others in time, order, position or importance.

* * *

He recalled the first time he had noticed her.

He had never concerned himself with girls and stuff before, and until that moment, he was convinced he never would. As far as he was concerned, only weak minded fools indulged in that sort of meaningless drivel, and he would never debase himself with such trivial pursuits. No, Seto had learned a long time ago that there were only two people in this world he could trust, Mokuba, and himself.

And that was all he needed.

At least it had been, until _she_ buzzed into his life and ruined everything.

He had apparently met her before but she had just blended into the nameless swam of irritating flies that insisted on plaguing his existence. She was a plain, scrawny thing, a completely insignificant blur on his periphery not worthy of his attention until that fateful night on his blimp. He was studiously focused on his preparation for his strategy for his next match and was only dimly aware that someone had barged in and started shouting at him. He wasn't even listening to her incessant babbling, and he certainly didn't bother to avert his attention from the tapes he was watching of his opponents in order to acknowledge her pitiful pleas to land his blimp for whatever ridiculous reason she was jabbering on about. Everyone wanted something from him, and she was no different and he would swat her away just like all the other irritating flies before her.

He coldly waved his hand at her in dismissal; no one told him what to do, least of all some pitiful creature with absurdly idealistic views of how the world worked. But that didn't stop her, and her refusal to accept his dismissal just irritated him even more as she continued to bleat on in that annoying voice of hers. She even started crying. It was beyond pathetic.

And that was when she did it. The unthinkable.

She touched him.

And his life became the screeching car crash it was now.

At first he had been shocked; no one dared touch Seto Kaiba and now that scrawny slip of a girl had fallen to her knees in front of his chair and desperately grabbed his hands in hers as she pleaded with him on his level. He tried to snatch his hands back, but she held his hands tightly in hers, squeezing them close to her heart as she looked at him helplessly with tears brimming her eyes, repeating her cries for help. He scowled at her audacity, his cold eyes narrowing on his prey which he was just about to slaughter with his vicious words.

But as he focused on the victim he was about to destroy, he noticed her. He noticed _all_ of her, not just the pretty façade and the nice manners all the common idiots were incapable of seeing beyond. No, _he_ noticed the mole just above her left eyebrow, the slight crook in her button nose, the small, dark stain on her silk blouse, her rough bitten nails coated in chipped varnish. He should have been repulsed by her imperfections, he certainly did not expect himself to be intrigued by her in any way, but instead he found her curiously captivating.

He should have stopped it right then. That _feeling_. He should have squashed it deep down and shaken her off him with revulsion and unleashed his fury at her imprudence. If only he had, then he would not be in the mess he was in now.

Instead, he did the unthinkable.

He said 'yes'.

The word had just spurted from his mouth before he had even realised he had said it. She was as shocked as he was.

"R…Really?" she questioned, her mouth gawping open in surprise.

That was his chance, his chance to rectify his mistake and pretend he never said it. But as he looked into her amber eyes, he just nodded dumbly.

And she smiled.

It was not the vulgar sort of smile that those other women would give him in a futile attempt to appear alluring; it was an honest smile that exposed no hidden agenda, a smile which simply expressed her genuine gratitude for his help which lit up her whole face and made her eyes sparkle. But worst of all, when he saw that smile, he realised he would have said 'yes' to her a million times over just to see it again.

She gently released his hands and slowly stood up as if to leave. He wanted to drag her back down in front of him and...and…he didn't know what, but he knew he didn't want her to go. _How weak_. He abruptly stood up, feeling the need to say something,

"Now get out."

Damn. That was not what he meant to say. He could see her smile vanish and her posture stiffen as she quickly averted her eyes from his steely gaze. Seeing her hurt expression, he wondered if he should apologise. No, it was better this way. With a wretched, sinking feeling in his gut, he watched as with a small bow, she turned away from him and gracefully moved towards the door. She paused and then turned to look at him once more. He felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

"Thank you, Mr. Kaiba." Her voice was soft, barely a whisper.

And then she was gone.

He had stared at that door for hours after she left. _Thinking._ He was greatly disturbed by his moment of weakness; his emotions had betrayed him and she had exploited his temporary lapse in judgement.

_Yes_, it was all _her_ fault.

As his analytical mind dissected their encounter, he concluded she must have planned this from the beginning, carefully manipulating him with her pleading eyes and kind smile and he stupidly let himself fall into her trap. He was such a fool. He vowed he would expose her for the fraud she truly was. He vowed he would never be so weak again.

He watched her closely throughout his tournament after that, waiting eagerly for her pretty manners to slip and confirm that underneath, she was exactly like all the other soul-sucking, manipulative vultures that he encountered. But it never came. The more he relentlessly searched for fault, the more hopelessly perfect she was. Even as she stood on the side lines cheering on that ridiculous mutt, he was hopelessly entranced by her beautiful, warm smile.

That smile she had once given him.

But now she gave it to everyone else. She never even noticed his stare. She never even glanced his way and he found himself desperately wishing she would. He started goading her friends, hoping to provoke her into looking at him again, but she never did. All her attention was devoted to her friends as she selflessly cheered, comforted and consoled them through their triumphs and tragedies and a deeply hidden, selfish part of him was annoyed that she would not do the same for him.

She was cruel.

Damn. No, she wasn't. She was perfect. She was everything he could never be and everything he could never have.

She was his Serenity.

But as quickly as she had unknowingly forced her way into his life, she disappeared from it again. His tournament was quickly over and his life returned to the monotony of contracts, business meetings and conferences. Without her constant presence cruelly reminding him of his weakness, he gradually began to rid himself of the temporary insanity that had inflicted him throughout his tournament. Gradually his heart stopped fluttering weirdly when he caught a flash of auburn hair in the corner of his eye, his hands eventually stopped getting clammy when someone wore jasmine perfume in his proximity. After a few months, he had successfully dismissed the entire pathetic episode as a minor blip which would never happen again.

At least that was what he hoped.

Words can therefore not describe his shock when one morning, two years later, he mindlessly breezed out of the elevator towards his office and was unexpectedly called over to be introduced to his new secretary…

…and there she was, sat prettily at the desk outside his office with her KaibaCorp name badge prominently on display. _His _Serenity.

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Hello Mr. Kaiba."

He almost spat out his coffee with shock.

* * *

**Dear Reader, **

**Thank you for taking the time to read this far. I wrote this on a whim and was originally intending for this to be a one-shot exploratory Seto Kaiba monologue. I liked the idea that Seto could remain completely cold and aloof on the outside but bubbling away underneath is a confused, emotionally stunted boy who has difficultly confronting these novel feelings. I must admit that my fingers are itching to type more and I am considering extending this into multi-chapter...thoughts? **

**All reviews welcome.**

**With love, **

**Mimzical**

**x**


	2. The Fear

**The Fear**

Fear: _(noun)_

An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.

* * *

He immediately scurried to his office and slammed the door, collapsing against the hard wood for support. He tugged anxiously on his tie as he tried to regain control of his erratic breathing.

She was there. She was just the other side of his door!

He felt an awful wretched, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, like his organs were twisting together in a crippling knot. Was she still the same Serenity from two years ago? He contemplated opening the door for a quick peek but immediately squashed that thought back down. She had certainly _looked_ that same, except her hair was a little bit longer and her clothes were more mature, but two years was a long time.

He tore himself away from the door and sat down at his desk where he nervously thrummed his hands across the dark wood as he impatiently waited for his computer to warm up.

She was his secretary. She would be just the other side of that door every single day.

He buried his head in his hands. He was going to be a prisoner in his own office, trapped inside hiding away from that demon intent on haunting him with her existence.

Why had she come here! Could he fire her? That would solve everything.

His emails popped up and he started scanning their contents. Maybe it would be different this time, maybe he would not feel the same damn confusing feelings he experienced two years ago. He was stronger now; he would not succumb to that same weakness again. _Yes,_ this was his opportunity to rectify his blip from before and prove that she was nothing to him. He would prove that Kaiba's really are above all that _feeling_ nonsense.

He spent the rest of the day purposefully focused on his work, deliberately dispelling all thoughts about the harpy on the other side of his door and the uneasiness she evoked in him. It was only when he had eventually finished for the day and was about to open his office door to leave that his carefully controlled façade slipped. His fingers lingered on the door handle, as he mentally prepared himself for his first trial.

With a deep breath, he forced open the door and stormed straight passed her desk towards the elevator, refusing to even look at her or acknowledge her presence. He was strong, he would not allow her to weaken him again and as he successfully reached the lift, he released the breath he had been holding at the relief that his strategy had worked.

"Goodnight, Mr. Kaiba," she merrily called from her desk as the elevator door opened.

With a firm resolve, he silently congratulated himself on successfully ignoring her and stepped in. But as the lift door closed, the sound of her sweet voice trilled in his ears, those three words caressing him in the darkness of the elevator and like a heavy weight landing on his head, he knew there was no denying it. His disease was back with a vengeance.

He was totally screwed.

…

Seto dealt with his confusing emotions by refusing to acknowledge the source of his feelings - _her_.

Work became torture. His office offered little sanctuary throughout the days, knowing the object of his torture was sitting a few feet away with only a door separating them. Every once in a while she would truly test his reserve and would calmly walk into his office and place a fresh mug of coffee on his desk.

He was pathetic. He was the owner of a multi-billion pound corporation, and he was afraid of an innocuous girl. He considered firing her, but that would mean talking to her and that was completely out of the question. He considered moving her to a different part of the company but every time he entertained the thought, the awful twisted feeling in his stomach returned with a vengeance, reminding him of his pitiful sickness.

Every evening, he would walk as swiftly as possible through the treacherous path from his office door to the elevator, keeping his gaze focused on his escape as he passed her desk and just as the lift door was about to close and he thought he was safely away, the source of his torture would sweetly say _'Goodnight Mr. Kaiba'_ and he instantly became a jumble of conflicting emotions all over again. He truly resented those three words, he now resented work, but he especially resented her.

It was another one for those days. Seto was feeling particularly irritable as he laboured on his response to the Unions over his intended corporate restructure when his door had quietly creaked open and _she_ swept into his office. She smiled at him and quietly walked over to the cabinet where the high profile client files were kept. He ignored her and kept his eyes resolutely fixed on his computer screen.

He tried to pretend he hadn't noticed she was there but he couldn't concentrate; his body knew, aching to look in her direction. He couldn't resist, his eyes quickly flickered towards her. She had bent down low to return the folder to its correct place in the lower drawer, her bottom wiggling as she tried to force the folder back in. Did she not know the torture she was putting him through?

He sucked in a savage breath as his mind became clouded with dark thoughts. He wanted to pin her against the cabinet and kiss that beautiful mouth of hers. He wanted to feel the curve of her body pushed against his, tangle his hands in her hair as his mouth pressed eagerly against hers. He wanted to hear her moan as his lips trailed across her jaw to the tender spot on her neck and she…

His finger accidentally hit the wrong key on his keyboard and he swore loudly.

His voice had apparently startled her and she spun around to look at him.

"Are you ok Mr. Kaiba?" she asked. She sounded genuinely concerned.

Seto could feel his cheeks getting hot at the forbidden thoughts which had assaulted his mind a moment before and he had to force himself to shake them away.

"I am fine, Miss. Wheeler." He silently scolded himself for his moment of weakness and quickly regained his compose. She was still looking at him questionably so he started to type again, hoping she would just go away.

"Very well Mr. Kaiba. I will be at my desk if you need anything."

"Hngh."

With a small bow she quietly left the room, carefully closing the door so she didn't disturb his concentration. He hadn't actually been concentrating on anything, he had just been typing nonsense.

Once the door was fully closed he slumped forward in his chair, smothering his face in his hands. How could one girl turn his life into such a mess? He couldn't continue this way, that much was obvious. He couldn't keep hiding from her and repressing the perplexing feelings she evoked in him. He had never been _physical _with anyone before, but she evoked such primal urges in him which he didn't understand. It seemed the more he tried to ignore her, the stronger her presence was in his consciousness.

A new approach was needed and he knew what he had to do. With a firm resolve, he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to admit.

_I like her. _There. He had finally acknowledged it. The sky had not caved in, his company had not suddenly exploded and his limbs still remained intact. That wasn't so hard, was it?

Maybe now he had finally acknowledged his feelings, he could start the process of releasing the inner tension that supressing his feelings had caused, and focus on curing himself of his unhealthy fascination instead. These feelings were novel, of course he would be curious, and perhaps by trying to understand his feelings, rather than fight them, he could demystify the illusion she had created in his mind and his feelings would naturally begin to subside. Then he could finally focus on his work…

But that meant confronting his problem. He pushed down the button for his intercom. It was time to bite the bullet.

"Miss. Wheeler, the Denver contracts need faxing to Procurement."

"Right away, Mr. Kaiba."

It was an instant relief. Hearing her sweet voice, he felt some of his tension ebb away and concluded his hypothesis was correct. Perhaps talking to her would not be so traumatic after all. Feeling pleased with the progress he had started to make in rectifying his little problem, he turned his attention back to his document and continued typing, his mood feeling considerably lighter than before.

He became heavily engrossed in his work all afternoon. He successfully completed his response to the Unions and drafted the Corporate Continuity Plan for the next quarter. He was so absorbed in his work throughout the afternoon that he almost forgot he was supposed to attend Mokuba's parents evening. He still had time to make it so he hastily packed away his laptop and left the office, braving the well-trodden path between his office and the elevator.

He confidently passed her desk this time and pushed the button to call the elevator to his floor. As usual, just as the doors opened, he heard her melodious voice from across the foyer.

"Goodnight, Mr. Kaiba."

He entered the lift and turned around.

"Goodnight, Miss Wheeler."

He looked up just in time to see the stunned expression on her face before the elevator doors closed in front of him.

* * *

**Dear Readers,**

**Wow! Thank you for all for your reviews and because of your kind words, 'My Fair Serenity' is now officially multi-chapter! I am having a blast writing this but I hope this chapter does not disappoint.**

**I don't consider 'My Fair Serenity' as a 'story' in the traditional sense.I have approached it as more of a Seto-centric monologue as he explores his feelings for Serenity and battles with himself to reach a place where he may eventually be able to engage in something meaningful with Serenity. I don't intend for this to be a cliché ridden story full of the usual 'plots' (although I have a few ideas rumbling for future fics :D) so this may not be everyone's cup of tea (and I'm British so I blimin love tea!).**

**Please read and review!**

**Peace and Love, **

**Mimzical**

**x**

Special notes:

**Kingdom's Oathkeeper****: **Dude, your review is fucking awesome!

**xxuhohitszoexx** **:** Kaiba definitely needs some love in his life (we just need Kaiba to realise it too!)

**LadyRitsu****: ** A beautifully written review! A feisty Serenity can be interesting to read if it is well-written, but I completely agree. Serenity is shy, kind (and probably a bit naïve )and whilst she will speak up for a cause she truly believes in, she is definitely not confrontational by nature. The last thing anyone wants is a boring character so I wonder if some writers default to a 'hot-headed' Serenity because it's an instant way to inject personality into a character rather than gradually building up her more subtle qualities.

**XOXOserenityXOXO****:**Thank you (again) for your review, I hope you found someone to write your story idea!

**ViscountessKiera****: **I consider Seto's primary motivators to be power and control and in this scenario, I thought it would be interesting for Seto to perceive that Serenity was the one who had power and control over him (even though her kind, considerate nature suggests she is rather power_less). _I think that would lead to a lot of conflicting emotions.


	3. The Fall

**The Fall**

Fall:_ (verb)_

To move from a higher to a lower level, typically rapidly and without control.

* * *

As he breezed into work, Seto was surprised to find Serenity already at her desk.

She was talking on the telephone but managed a small smile and a wave in his direction as he walked passed and then quickly resumed her furious typing as she listened intently to the caller on the phone. Seto forced himself to nod back and quickly swept into his office before she could notice how effected he was by her simple gesture.

As he sat down at his desk, he saw a large stack of papers, with a warm coffee and what looked like a home-made slice of carrot cake placed neatly on a plate with a fork. He furrowed in his eyebrows in confusion until he noticed the hand-written note placed carefully on top of the stack of papers.

'_Mr. Kaiba, _

_The disposition from legal in the Wolfam case arrived for you this morning- you will need supplies!_

_Serenity.' _

He regarded the warm coffee and carrot cake and felt the corners of his mouth involuntarily twitch. He read her note several times, admiring the neat loops of the 'L's and the carefully crossed 'T's of her writing. He knew he should have torn the note up and chucked it in the trash, it was just a meaningless note between employee and employer after all. But after he read it again, he decidedly opened the top drawer of his desk and carefully placed the note inside before closing it again and pulled the stack of papers closer. It really was a long, dull document, but for some unfathomable reason he found himself smiling as he read it.

It was the best carrot cake he ever had and that evening as he walked to the elevator, her voice dutifully called to him.

"Goodnight, Mr. Kaiba."

"Goodnight, Miss. Wheeler," he replied, repeating their unspoken nightly ritual just before the elevator doors closed behind him.

….

Serenity proved herself to be a highly competent secretary and he relied on her more than he would willingly admit, especially to her. She would proof-read documents before placing them on his desk; highlighting the important bits so he didn't have to read the rest of the waffle. Occasionally she would write amusing comments in the margin, particularly if the author had made an embarrassing grammatical error or the sentence was a collection of nonsensical words the author had strung together in a pathetic attempt to appear intelligent. Her comments always tickled him. Luckily no one was present in his office to witness his snort of amusement in those moments.

She was meticulous and methodical in her approach to work. The files which appeared on his desk were no longer the messy piles of paper shoved between cardboard jackets; they had now been placed in glossy folders and sorted into neat, indexed sections. She seemed to instinctively know what he needed and the report would magically appear on his desk with another of her hand-written notes on top. He now had a sizable stash of her hand written notes in his top drawer.

He also noticed the sudden appearance of strange plants in his office. He had never had any before, but he found himself quite liking them. Particularly the Jasmine; it smelled exactly like her. He moved that one into a prominent position on his desk.

She was perfect, but he was not the only one to notice and Seto quickly found himself confronting a new feeling.

Jealousy.

Several times he had walked passed her desk to find some nameless male employee sidle up to her, vying for her attention. They would try to schmoose her with charming smiles before casually inviting her out for lunch or a drink after work. She would always give them the same pleasant, beautiful smile she gave to everyone and politely refuse their offer. She never gave a reason why, but Seto knew that for every suitor she turned down, she was another person closer to actually saying 'yes'. Seto would be particularly surly on those days.

It was a Tuesday when it happened again. He was just about to leave his office for lunch when he overheard a loud male voice from her desk. He sank back into the darkness of his room, watching the incident with a scowl from the gloom of the shadows, his hands curling into fists at his side.

Jeremy Bryant was leaning seductively over Serenity's desk. Seto never really liked Jeremy; he was loud, obnoxious and would always boast about his latest conquest in the bedroom, but as Chief Finance Officer, he was competent at his job and managed one of the highest performing teams in the company. But as he leered at his Serenity over the desk and brazenly invited _his_ Serenity out to lunch, Seto scowled. He definitely did not like Jeremy now.

It felt like an eternity has passed before Serenity finally responded to Jeremy's offer. She looked taken aback by his request, but quickly gave him the same friendly smile she gave all her other rejected suitors.

"That is really kind of you Mr. Bryant, however I have a lot of work I need to finish before this afternoon," she politely responded. Seto petulantly noted she did not offer Jeremy an alternative date.

Jeremy shifted closer to Serenity. Did she not notice the desire in his eyes? It was beyond repulsive. _His_ Serenity deserved to be put on a pedestal and worshipped, not pawed at by filth.

"Is Kaiba being a slave driver again?"

Seto scowled in anger, ready to step out of the shadows and announce his presence but Serenity's polite, tinkling laughter stopped him.

"Not at all, Mr. Bryant. It is a pleasure working for Mr. Kaiba. I enjoy it."

Seto churned this over in his mind. A _pleasure_? What did that mean?

"A pleasure!" Jeremy guffawed. "Kaiba is many things but a _pleasure_ is defiantly not one of them."

Seto mentally logged the insult, knowing he would reprimand Jeremy for his flippant remark later. Serenity's back stiffened and Seto noticed she started shifting papers on her desk. He wished he could see her facial expression.

"You know," Jeremy continued smugly. "You could always transfer over to the finance te-"

"It has been a _pleasure_ talking to you Mr. Bryant," Serenity smoothly interrupted. Although she maintained her usual politeness, Kaiba detected an agitated edge to her voice. "However, I really need to get back to my work."

Jeremy looked displeased by his dismissal.

"Maybe next week then?" He said dejectedly. Serenity didn't appear to be listening as she continued her paper shuffling and Jeremy reluctantly turned away and with a final lustful look in Serenity's direction, stomped back to whatever dark corner of the building he usually lurked in.

Seto remained in the shadows for a moment. Why did she decline Jeremy's invitation? Was it genuinely because she had too much work to do? Or was there another reason? Or another person! Seto had not considered this before. He felt the heat of anger prickling his skin. Even though he could never have her for himself, he selfishly did not want anybody else to have his Serenity.

Before he had an opportunity to reconsider, his feet propelled him forward and he marched purposefully towards her desk before he changed his mind. She looked at him questionably.

"I am going to lunch. Will you accompany me?" He asked with a dangerously low voice. He didn't mean to be so abrupt but he was impatient to know what she would say. He kept his expression firm; he could not allow her to see how desperately he needed to know her response.

She seemed genuinely startled by his invitation and dropped the stapler she had been holding. She bent down to retrieve the stapler and it took all of his resolve not to demand an immediate answer from her.

When she straightened her body he noticed her cheeks were tinged with pink.

"Yes. I would like that." She said breathlessly.

He almost dropped his briefcase from shock, his carefully controlled façade almost breaking.

_She said yes!_

His heart started thrumming loudly in his chest as he watched her gracefully collect her coat and pick up her handbag. When she was ready, he stiffly walked to the elevator with her dutifully following in behind him.

What did this mean?

Did she like him?

Or did she really just want lunch?

His brain was whirring with a million thoughts as the elevator door closed behind them. She had already turned down Jeremy, did she only agree because Seto was her boss? Did she think it was a business lunch and that was the only reason he asked her?

Why _did_ he ask her?

And why was he so damn pleased she said 'yes.'

_She said yes! _

He turned his head to look at her as the elevator began its decent. She was already looking in his direction and when their eyes met, she smiled at him. He felt an unfamiliar warmth inside and for a brief moment, he felt _special._ His thoughts quickly turned cold. Was this the same smile she gave the rest of those idiots that vied for her attention? He was not special at all. He was completely inadequate for her attention.

The elevator door pinged open on the ground floor.

"Follow me." He said simply and stalked off, forcing a stunned Serenity to quickly run to keep up with him.

He led her towards a small, independent café he had discovered a few years ago. It was just around the corner from the office, but hidden down an obscure alley which meant not many people knew of its existence. He allowed Serenity to push open the door and followed closely behind. The small bell tinkled, announcing their arrival and Devina, the owner, quickly rushed over to greet them and showed him to his usual seat. If she was surprised he had company, she knew better than to mention it. He had never taken anyone to his café before.

Once they were seated and Serenity was perched in the chair opposite him, he felt his anxiety creep up again. His objective when asking her to lunch was to see what she would say, he hadn't contemplated that she may have actually agreed. Now he had got her here, what was he supposed to actually do? He had no idea how was he meant to behave with someone he _liked_. The only other person he liked was Mokuba, and that was completely different.

As Serenity looked at her lap nervously he settled on a question which had been plaguing him for a while.

"Why KaibaCorp?" he asked abruptly. She instantly looked at him and her cheeks reddened at his bluntness. She cleared her throat.

"My parents told me from a young age that I should always aim for the best in life. After I finished my degree, I knew I wanted to pursue corporate business and so I did exactly that; I aimed for the best. You don't get any better than KaibaCorp in Domino."

He felt an unfamiliar swell of pride for her esteem for his company.

"You have a degree?" he enquired with interest.

Her whole face lit up with enthusiasm. "A Masters in Corporate Communications and Public Relations."

Seto was impressed. Then again, everything about her impressed him. A waiter quickly took their order and she nervously resumed the conversation.

"You know, I have been meaning to say thank you, for hiring me I mean."

"I didn't hire you."

He mentally scalded himself. Why did he always have to be so rude? But she didn't seem offended by his rudeness and giggled. It was the most beautiful noise he had ever heard.

"You didn't fire me either," she lightly teased.

"There's still time." He quipped. Wait, did he just try to be funny? He really did have it bad. Their lunch arrived and he was glad for the distraction.

As he took a bite from his biscotti, he took the opportunity to admire her as she slowly nibbled on her pastry. She was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. She was wearing a white, silk blouse with a pale pink, knee-length skirt. Her long, auburn hair was swept over her left shoulder and it tumbled down in soft, glossy waves. It was beautiful. He wanted to reach out and touch it. He quickly stuffed more biscotti into his mouth to suppress the urge and he almost choked.

"Is biscotti your favourite?" she asked pleasantly. He regained his composure and swallowed his mouthful but still paused before answering. He was not the most forthcoming in revealing personal information about himself unless it was business related but if he was going to indulge his craving for Serenity by inviting her to lunch then he needed to get over his discomfort. He decided that revealing his pastry preferences was a good place to start.

"Yes." He said simply. There, he _can_ talk about himself after all.

"And carrot cake." He added as an unconscious afterthought, remembering the delicious carrot cake she had made him before. _Crap_, he wasn't supposed to say that out loud.

He quickly stuffed more biscotti into his mouth.

"I will have to remember that when you start getting grouchy." She said with a smile.

Seto found himself watching the way she took small, polite bites at her lunch.

"Your manners are a vast improvement to your brothers," Seto mused out loud.

Serenity stopped chewing and slowly put her pastry back down on her plate.

"I didn't think you knew. About my brother I mean." Her voice was quiet and her eyes seemed to be avoiding his.

"I make it my business to know my employees." He didn't mention that he made it his business to specifically know everything about her.

"Mr. Kaiba I assure you that I am a competent employee and your relationship with my brother should hold no bearing on my ability to-"

He held up his hand to stop her. "You misunderstand me Miss Wheeler, I was merely making a comparison in your favour."

"Oh." Her shoulders relaxed and she flashed him a relieved smile.

She picked up her pastry again and resumed her small nibbling. Seto had to repress the urge to lean over and nibble on her pretty mouth in the same way. It was very distracting.

Luckily Serenity appeared oblivious to his wild thoughts as her attention focused on the interior of the café. It was a long time until she broke the silence.

"I didn't know this place was here," she eventually said, her eyes gazing around in wonder as she continued to eat her pastry. "It's lovely." Her voice was so quiet it was almost like she was talking to herself.

"Not many people do."

Her attention quickly switched to him, her amber eyes unblinking as she stared into his eyes. It made him feel suddenly uncomfortable.

"Is that why you come here?" she pressed.

Seto shifted in his seat as he contemplated how best to answer.

"I don't like people pestering me."

Serenity nodded in understanding and looked away again, taking a small sip of her tea. They lapsed into another silence and wordlessly ate the remainder of their lunch. Seto sneaked a glance in her direction as he finished drinking his tea. He could tell by the thoughtful expression on her face that she was pondering how to ask her next question. Seto quietly placed down his cup and patiently waited.

"Why did you invite me here?" she blurted out. Seto was surprised at her forwardness and instantly turned his cold eyes to study her. She was trying her best to look nonchalant but the intense narrowing of her eyebrows betrayed her eagerness to know the answer to her question. Seto felt a tightening in his chest, could he tell her? He wasn't even sure of the answer himself. She would probably laugh in his face if she knew how pathetic he really was.

"Have you finished your lunch?" He asked coolly, choosing to dismiss her question all together. That was the Kaiba way to deal with confrontation.

He noticed she chewed on her lip for a moment, and he knew she was internally debating whether to challenge him about his lack of a response to her question. He wasn't sure what he would accidentally blurt out if she did ask him again. It felt like an eternity had passed before she made up her mind.

"Yes. I have finished thank you." She said, brushing the crumbs off her skirt and promptly standing up from her seat.

She seemed to be avoiding looking at him and Seto could feel the tension his unanswered question had caused as he slowly stood up too. He wanted to say something to her but knew it was better this way. She could not know about his feelings.

He slapped down some money on the table, ignoring her offer to pay and held the door open for her as they silently left the café with a cloud of awkward energy following them back to the office.

…

Apparently Serenity had forgiven him by the time he arrived at work the following day; waiting on his desk was a basket of freshly made biscotti. He ate them all.

* * *

**Dear Readers, **

**You guys rock! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and I hope this chapter does not disappoint. Whist I am enjoying writing Kaiba's POV, it is terrifying posting a new chapter and I am finding it hard to get the balance right between 'story' and 'Kaiba ramblings'. I hope I get it right. **

**Special thanks to ****Kingdom's Oathkeeper****, ****Lppurplegirl11****, ****, ****XOXOserenityXOXO**** and guests for your reviews- your reviews give me wings (along with copius amounts of Redbull).**

**Peace and love, **

**Mimzical**

**x**


	4. The Flood

**The Flood**

Flood: _(noun)_

An overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal limits.

To overwhelm or inundate.

* * *

Autumn disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and the weather became increasingly volatile as winter took its place. It was two months until Christmas and Seto was working late again, diligently finalising the details for the launch of his new duel disc system when a crack of thunder in the distance shattered his concentration.

With a grunt of annoyance, Seto tried to tune out the sound of the rain as it began to pound against the large window which stretched across the back wall behind his desk. As he resumed his typing, another bright flash of lightening illuminated his office and was immediately followed by a deep rumble of thunder. The rain quickly turned into sheets of hail which mingled with the howling winds that tore across the black sky and crashed relentlessly against his window.

His phone lit up with a worried message from Mokuba. Mokuba had always been afraid of storms and Seto knew he should probably head home to be with his brother.

He wasted little time in packing his briefcase and marched out of his office, passing Serenity's desk as he headed towards the elevator, keenly awaiting the sound of her pleasant voice wishing him a good evening as he waited for the elevator to arrive at his floor.

But he didn't hear anything.

He turned around.

She wasn't there.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. That was odd, she always stayed until he left, usually so she could berate him for working so late.

The elevator door pinged open and he stiffly turned to look at it, feeling strangely irked by her apparent rejection of their nightly 'goodnight' ritual. Feeling an unfamiliar stab of disappointment, he stomped into the lift.

He knew he was being irrational as he smacked the button for the underground parking lot. It was just one night where she apparently had something more important to do than to stay late just to utter three words to him. But it was more than that. At least it was to him.

Was that what had annoyed him? That she could so casually discard their unspoken routine like it was completely meaningless? She had probably never cared at all.

He ignored the lone security guard when the lift opened into the parking lot and stormed straight passed him towards his car. He petulantly threw his briefcase into the spacious boot and wrenched open the driver's door before sinking into the seat.

Growling in frustration he turned on the ignition and the car sprang to life. How could one girl be responsible for completely destroying his life? He revved the engine of the powerful vehicle and slammed the gear into drive, quickly flicking on the headlights as he ventured into the darkness outside the parking lot.

It was a ghastly evening. The rain hammered down, obscuring his view of the road ahead despite the rapid swishing of the vehicles wipers. He pulled up to the first set of traffic lights and waited for the signal to change, watching as the sleet continued to streak down his windscreen. The weather epitomised his black mood.

That was when he saw her. He thought he had imagined her at first, his besotted mind projecting his wild fantasies to reality. He had to look away and turn back again to double check. It was definitely her, waiting at a bus stop in the pouring rain. She wasn't even wearing a coat.

He turned his attention back to the traffic lights with a sneer. He was still annoyed with her. She deserved to be stuck in the rain.

The light changed to green, but he couldn't bring himself to move. He thrummed his fingers loudly against the steering wheel. He knew he should have just driven off and put an end to the torture she had subjected him to. He coldly reminded himself that she did not reciprocate his feelings considering she had so easily abandoned him earlier that evening.

A car behind him beeped and he looked at her again, his steely gaze softening. He could never be truly annoyed with her. Especially in that moment, seeing her shivering at the desolate bus stop alone in the rain, with her clothes clinging to her body and her hair plastered against her face as she stared sadly at the sodden pavement.

The car behind him beeped again and he slammed his foot on the accelerator, except instead of speeding forward as he intended, he swerved the car around and pulled up to the bus-stop. He wound down his window. She was soaked and shivering.

"Get in."

She raised her head but squinted through the rain as if disbelieving he was there. She looked around, like she expected there to be another person who also happened to be stupid enough to sit in the rain that he was talking to.

"I won't repeat myself."

Her eyes blinked in awareness and she picked up her saturated bag from the floor, a surge of wind almost knocking her off her feet as she quickly scuttled over the passenger side of the car and opened the door before sliding into the seat next him. The heady smell of dampened jasmine instantly flooded the car and hit him like a wrecking ball.

His body tensed at her close proximity. His car suddenly felt very small.

"Where do you live?" he asked stiffly, avoiding looking in her direction.

"The R…Riverside Apartments," she sniffed. She bowed her head and fidgeted nervously as the water from her hair dripped onto the leather seats.

He shifted into gear and pulled away from the bus stop, forcing his eyes to remain focused on the road ahead. He tried to appear unphased by her presence, but she was very distracting and his whole body ached to look in her direction. It was unbearable.

"What were you doing in the rain?" He had to know.

"I…I…"

Hearing her gasping words, he couldn't help himself; he had to look at her.

He stole a quick glance and his eyebrows furrowed in concern. Her wet hair was a tangled mess, the water falling in rivulets down her face and she was visibly shaking with her arms cradling her small body in a futile attempt to restore warmth.

He tried to ignore her, but as they traveled further down the road her sniffles became more pronounced.

"Damn you Wheeler," he muttered, shaking his head. He shrugged off his coat and wordlessly thrust it towards her crumpled, shivering form, keeping his gaze firmly on the road.

She squeaked in surprise and he could feel the heat of her questioning eyes on his face. He fought to maintain his stony expression as her pale, shaky hand reached out and gratefully took the coat from him. He felt a weird jolt as she wrapped the coat around her small body, smothering herself in its warmth with a small, contented smile. He wished it was his arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm. Instead he was jealous…of his own coat.

He really needed to get a grip on himself.

"You didn't answer my question. What were you doing in the rain?" What he actually wanted to know was why she had left the office early, or more specifically, why she had left _him._

She peeped up at him from her jacket cocoon. "I…well…it's a long story."

"Then start telling it," he snapped.

She squirmed. "Erm...well I had to take to my car to the garage…but the man said they had to fix the exhaust…"

As she started to recount the series of events which led to her sitting in the rain, she became increasingly animated as the colour gradually returned to her cheeks.

"…so then I had to get the bus…but it started raining… the bus never turned up…and then you…you…"

She turned to look at him.

"You helped me."

She smiled and gently placed her cold hand on his arm.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, almost crushing it underneath his fingers to stop his body from reacting. Was her sole purpose in life to torment him? He could feel his pulse quicken at the contact and all his blood rushed to that spot on his arm which her hand was resting on. It took all of his resolve not to slam on the breaks and grab her small hand firmly in his and never let it go.

It was only when her hand gently slipped away and she tucked it back under his jacket and turned her attention to the window that he was able to release the tightening in his chest and concentrate on breathing properly again.

He slammed on the music, desperate for a distraction from the addictive creature sat next to him.

She clearly had other ideas.

"I love this song," she said, softly humming along to a tune on the radio. It was his favourite, but he wasn't going to admit that.

Was she torturing him on purpose? If so, she was definitely succeeding.

"It's ok." He mumbled non-committedly.

She reached over and turned the volume up and started bopping her head along, her damp hair swaying in time to the music. He usually hated people touching his things and he especially hated people butchering his favourite music. So why did he find her so damn adorable?

She really would be the ruin of him.

Control. He had to regain control.

He petulantly flicked the music off again. _Much better_.

"Why did you-"

"Your appalling singing was annoying me."

Insults were good, he concluded. Now she would retaliate and say how much she hated him and he could stop deluding himself into believing she might even fractionally reciprocate his feelings.

"Oh. I'm sorry." She mumbled apologetically, her eyes shifting down to her lap with embarrassment.

Crap, now he felt bad. That was not the reaction he was hoping for and now he wanted to bloody comfort her. He felt like banging his head against the steering wheel in frustration.

Overpowering his straying thoughts into submission, he fixated his attention on the road ahead and forced his facial muscles into his usual glacial expression. They traveled in silence; the only interlude to the awkward tension was the soft hum of the engine and the rain crashing down around them. He was hyper aware of her every movement; from the smallest shift in her seat to her hand brushing a stray hair away from her face. Despite his firm resolve, she was very distracting.

He was almost relieved when he finally pulled up outside the Riverside Apartments. He turned off the engine; the sound of the rain pelting against the windscreen punctuated only by the steady sound of their breathing.

He studied the dark, dilapidated building which was apparently her 'home' but concluded it was more like a battered cardboard box. It definitely was not safe enough for his Serenity.

"Do you live alone?" Although he asked out of concern for her safety, he hoped she didn't detect the second meaning behind his question.

"Yes, it's just me." Her voice was quiet.

Was that partial relief he felt?

She continued. "But don't worry, I have really nice neighbours who look out for me."

Unfortunately she thought everyone was nice, he thought bitterly. He scrutinised the deserted apartment block again; maybe he should conduct a background check on her neighbours once he got home. _Just in case._

On second thoughts, maybe he should buy the apartment building too.

Seeing the ominous building, he realised he didn't want her to leave. Although she drove him crazy, he wanted to keep her and never have to let her go. He knew it was selfish but that didn't stop him from desperately wishing it could happen if he had been born someone else. The thought was strangely painful.

He turned towards her, surprised to find her face close to his. Her eyes widened in surprise too but she didn't move.

"Thank you for driving me home, Mr Kaiba." Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper and he could feel her warm breath tickle his cheek.

Her lips, her skin, looked so soft. He wanted to touch her.

"It was nothing, Miss Wheeler."

He was helplessly lost in her wide amber eyes.

"But still…" her voiced quietly trailed off and her bottom lip trembled, like she was trying to form words but couldn't express them.

He had never been intimate with anyone before. He didn't know how. Until he had met her, he had felt no desire to pursue intimate relations with anybody and he thought he never would. But he _liked_ Serenity, and the sudden thought of kissing her was…appealing.

Could he do it? Just lean in? What would she say if he did?

He moved his body forward, his face slowly leaning closer to hers. He heard her suck in a deep breath and his body hummed in anticipation as he felt himself be pulled closer to her. He noticed her eyelids flickered shut and she slowly released the shaky breath she had been holding which tickled his lips. He had never felt his heart beat so quickly. He didn't know what he was doing but he instinctively closed his eyes and tilted his face closer to hers.

A crash of thunder erupted in the distance and a startled Serenity sprang back with a small squeak. She quickly looked away, a heated blush spreading across her cheeks.

Seto stiffened, the blood in his veins turning to ice. He had just been about to do something unbelievably stupid.

"Goodnight, Mr. Kaiba," she quickly mumbled, shyly handing him back his coat without looking at him as she reached for the door handle.

The selfish impulse inside of him wanted to grab her hand and pull her back in but instead he remained frozen with shock and said nothing as she opened the door and stepped out into the harsh rain. She dashed up the path to the apartment building, her hair flailing wildly behind her before she disappeared inside without a backward glance.

Seto remained still, staring at the empty passenger seat she had just vacated. He had never lost control before, his rigidity of thought didn't allow for the unpredictably of emotional interference but for that small, unforgivable moment, he had almost ruined everything by allowing himself to be governed by his weak impulses.

He could only imagine the horror Serenity must be feeling as a result of his actions, she certainly ran away from him fast enough, leaving behind only his jacket.

He picked up his jacket she had discarded on the seat. He could still feel her warmth embedded in the thick material and was surprised at the way his chest lurched at this realisation. He replayed the moment she had lowered her thick lashes and softly parted her lips, and some foolish part of him found the memory strangely thrilling despite the ridiculousness of his actions. It was odd that despite the collapse of his carefully constructed world, he had never felt more intrigued.

He looked at the building she had just disappeared into and with a deep sigh, he spoke to the darkness.

"Goodnight, Serenity."

* * *

**Dear Readers,**

**It amazes me how wonderful you are with your fantastic reviews! You are truly wonderful people and I hope I haven't let you down with this chapter. I had a much subtler version of this written that was probably more in keeping with Seto's character but the moment seemed to scream for an almost-kiss type scenario and I couldn't seem to help myself so I would be interested to hear your thoughts and opinions on Seto.**

**Love and happiness,**

**Mimzical x**

**Thank you Sister of the Crimson Dragon, Kingdom's Oathkeeper , Lppurplegirl11, , LadyRitsu , September Samstar and guests for reviewing.**

**RanulfFlambard4: As a brit, I wish you a happy bank holiday weekend. Yippee!**

**ViscountessKiera: Serenity's shyness paired with Seto's stubborn refusal to accept his feelings unfortunately means we are in for long wait before either of them do anything (and I am having too much fun writing this so they definitely can't together yet!).**

**Within A Tragedy: Seto and Serenity are not for everyone but I am pleased you enjoyed! (And spell check is my best friend).**

**Charismatic Beauty: You changed your name! Your confused me for a moment Thank you again for reviewing.**


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